Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
ABOUT BOOKS AND READING
>
What are you reading or what books have you read or heard about? (Part TWELVE) Ongoing general thread.
Today I called our public library and they helped me download an ebook to my browser. The name of it is The Aviator's Wife BY Melanie Benjamin.I now have 14 days to read it. It sounds interesting.
At the same time today, I also requested another ebook from our public library. It's on hold. The name of it is The Summer Before the War BY Helen Simonson. They will contact me when it's available.
Nina wrote: "Just finished, "The Summer Before the War," by Helen Simonson; her second book..."Today I called our public library and they helped me download an ebook to my browser. I now have 14 days to read it. It sounds interesting.
At the same time, I also requested another ebook from our public library today. It's on hold. The name of it is The Summer Before the War BY Helen Simonson. They will contact me when it's available.
Nina, thanks for the suggestion! I hope I will learn how to easily navigate the ebooks from our public library. Wish me luck!
Nina wrote: "Just finished, "The Summer Before the War," by Helen Simonson; her second book..."Today I called our public library and they helped me download an ebook to my browser. I now have 14 days to read it. It sounds interesting.
At the same time, I also requested another ebook from our public library today. It's on hold. The name of it is The Summer Before the War BY Helen Simonson. They will contact me when it's available.
Nina, thanks for the suggestion! I hope I will learn how to easily navigate the ebooks from our public library. Wish me luck!
Penelope Lively, "How It All Began," is an excellent writer. Her book, "Moon Tiger" is one of my all time favorites and she won the Booker Prize for that one.
Joy H. wrote: "Linda wrote: "Book club meets next week to discuss "The Bookseller." Even though I didn't like the movie will be good to hear other perspectives and see who liked the book and why. ,,,"[book:The ..."
Everyone in my local book club finished and liked the book. I'm the only one who didn't like and didn't read the full book.
Some of the questions were: what are dreams, do we learn from dreams, how are her 2 "lives" different, why did main character have a need for 2 "worlds" and so on.
Summer read book (our club doesn't meet in July and August since library is on main drag which tourist populate and we wouldn't find parking) - is "The Alice Network" by Kate Quinn.
I don't usually enjoy books with dreams as part of them.Will look into The Alice Network BY Kate Quinn.
Thanks, Linda!
PS - Hmmm, I don't usually enjoy spy/war stories. I'm kind of tired of reading about WW2... AND WW1 !
Many of the book club members want to shy away from the war books and such. Believe our book in September is lighthearted and we even added a detective book. Needed more of a mix of selections.
Linda, I know that you enjoy detective stories. I wish I did. There are only a few that I liked and they were by Robert B. Parker, Lawrence Sanders, and Sydney Sheldon.I know that, for readers who enjoy detective and mystery stories, there are a lot of books to choose from.
I finished reading 2 books this week.One was great and the other was so-so .
See the links to my reviews below.
Matchmaking for Beginners (I gave it 2 stars)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Not Quite Dating (Not Quite, #1) (I gave it 5 stars)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
PS-I also read The Seventh Moon this month.I gave it 3 stars.
See my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
PPS-I also finished The Designer this month. (I gave it 4 stars.)See my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Joy H. wrote: "Linda, I know that you enjoy detective stories. I wish I did. There are only a few that I liked and they were by Robert B. Parker, Lawrence Sanders, and Sydney Sheldon.I know that, for readers wh..."
I've read Lawrence Sanders. In particular liked the "McNally Series" made me think of the sitcom Frazier!
Yes, I used to read Sydney Sheldon.
Haven't read anything by Parker - I'll check him out.
Linda,Be sure the writer is Robert B Parker, not another name writing for him since he died.
Also, I never read the McNally Series of Lawrence Sanders.
Below is a link to the books I read by Sanders:
(commandments and sins):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Below is a link to the books I read by Robert B. Parker (his "Spenser" series.)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
I really enjoyed all those books years ago!
Joy H. wrote: "Linda,Be sure the writer is Robert B Parker, not another name writing for him since he died.
Also, I never read the McNally Series of Lawrence Sanders.
Below is a link to the books I read by Sand..."
Thanks for the links.
I very much enjoyed the McNally series. If there weren't so many other books to read this series I would reread.
Clicked on the links for Robert B Parker. Found - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Did have a TV show. Joy, thanks for this author. Definitely will read his books.
I didn't know about the Spenser movies. I wonder who played Spenser.At WIKI I found: "Joe Mantegna portrayed Robert B. Parker's detective "Spenser" in three TV movies on the A&E cable network between 1999 and 2001."
I also found at Wiki: " In 1985 Spenser was made into a successful television series, Spenser for Hire which starred Robert Urich..."
So that answers my question. :)
Answers mine too. I remember watching "Spenser for Hire," now that I see that title. It was very good thinking back. I am now back to ninety five degrees and humid after wonderful in the seventies CA weather. But, nice to sleep last night in my own bed.
As they say, there's no place like home.
Definitely going to read Spencer series. And, indeed - nice to travel, visit people - always good to be back home and in one's own bed. Ahhhhhhhh.
Linda, you'll like the Spenser series. At least *I* did! :)Right now I'm reading The Tattooed Girl BY Joyce Carol Oates.
It's really holding my attention! Oates writes so well! She knows how to tell a story!
See my review (so far) at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design by Richard Dawkins wasn't nearly as good as some of his other books, but I learned a lot. I really like his & Laura's narration not to mention his writing style. He's not only smart, but a nice guy. He's always giving other scientists a lot of credit. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim, thanks for posting. I've always found Dawkins interesting and satisfying when I've seen him on TV. But I've never read his books. I can't bend my brain that far. :)
What are Tomos Unicos?https://www.goodreads.com/genres/tomo...
What is Bom Realistic?
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/bom-...
Has anyone here read or heard of the novel, The Uncertain Season BY Ann Howard Creel?I just happened across it today and started my GR review page which is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just ordered that book; I was at Galveston when I was thirteen and remember staying in a motel that was built on stilts; this was in 1940 and still there was the haunting of the nineteen hundred hurricane. I still remember that my mother couldn't sleep that night for fear that there might be another hurricane.
What a coincidence! I hope I will like the book. I got it as part of "Kindle Unlimited".I had to look up a map to see exactly where Galveston is.
Sad news. A division of the American Library Association has voted to remove Laura Ingalls Wilder's name from a major children's book award over concerns with how the early-to-mid 20th century author portrayed blacks and Native Americans.Laura Ingalls Wilder is best known for her Little House on the Prairie series. I guess some awards are now contingent upon the changing times.
:(
Redefining Reality by Steven Gimbel is a fantastic lecture series about how science has changed our point of view through the ages. Gimbel gives great explanations of a variety of sciences. Anyone can understand them & then he puts them in their social context. Highly recommended. I gave it a 5 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim wrote: "Sad news. A division of the American Library Association has voted to remove Laura Ingalls Wilder's name from a major children's book award over concerns with how the early-to-mid 20th century auth..."I guess they're trying to re-write history! It's too bad we can't CHANGE history... and make it better. I suppose this is an attempt at doing that, but so much is lost when we do that, despite the gains. We want a perfect world. Wish we could have it.
The only reason I can see for this is if they think these awards are used to create lists for recommended reading & they think that kids will read them too young without any adult input. In that case, they might want to cover their butts. It's not reason enough, IMO.Kids should never read a book without adult input. Mine never did & I was never the most cuddly or attentive parent. I'm not saying I read every book, but I read or at least skimmed most if I hadn't read it already. We almost always discussed their books & the ones Marg & I were reading, though. I doubt there is a book that I fully agree with & I vehemently disagree with some of the attitudes expressed in some of the best.
For instance, early on we all decided that the adults in the Harry Potter books should have been flogged. Poor Harry was totally abused as a child. Experiments done with monkeys in his situation have turned out psychopaths with good reason. Kids need to know that it's a fictional plot device & not something that should ever be tolerated in reality, IMO
Jim, it seems to me that it would be very hard to guarantee "adult input" for every book a child reads. Otherwise your idea makes sense.
Today I finished reading Freaks Like Us BY Susan Vaught.See my review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I gave it 2 stars.
Parenting is never easy, but what kids read was always a priority for me.
What do you all think about the taking of the literary award from Laura Inglalls Wilder? I think it is terrible. As a young child I loved her stories.
Apparently I misread that. They didn't remove the award from her books, but renamed the award. I still don't like it.
Nina wrote: "What do you all think about the taking of the literary award from Laura Inglalls Wilder? I think it is terrible. As a young child I loved her stories."Nina, I guess they're trying to re-write history! It's too bad we can't CHANGE history... and make it better. I suppose this is an attempt at doing that, but so much is lost when we do that, despite the gains. We want a perfect world. Wish we could have it.
BTW, Jim wrote: Apparently I misread that. They didn't remove the award from her books, but renamed the award. I still don't like it.
Jim wrote: "Apparently I misread that. They didn't remove the award from her books, but renamed the award. I still don't like it."Jim, What did they name the award?
What was it before they changed it?
The article in the paper was confusing as to what they did. There was no mention of a new name in the one I read;just that they were removing the award from her books due to her depiction of Blacks and Indians. Perhaps they changed their minds and just renamed the award later.
Here's a link to the article: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org..."The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Board voted 12–0 to change the name of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award to the Children’s Literature Legacy Award..."
NPCs by Drew Hayes was fun & well narrated. It follows a team of adventurers made up of NPCs, NonPlayer Characters in role-playing games like D&D, through an adventure. Kind of a beach read for geeks. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
NPC = Non-Player CharactersI'm getting to HATE acronyms!
Thanks for posting, Jim.
Sad they removed her name. No recognition for such a wonderful story teller.
The Menace from Earth, and Other Stories doesn't have as many good stories as The Green Hills of Earth, but a few make the rest worth it. I particularly like the title story. Still, I only gave it a 3 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
THERE IS PROBABLY A GLITCH IN GOODREAD'S SYSTEM WHEN A READER SWITCHES FROM ONE FORMAT TO ANOTHER WHILE WRITING A BOOK REVIEW, for example, when switching from "hardcover" to "audiobook".I have noticed that several of my reviews erroneously state that it's the second time I've read a book. Other readers have probably noticed this glitch as well. I'm not going to report this annoying glitch to Goodreads. I'll just learn to work around it by being careful to choose the correct format BEFORE starting my review.
I suspect that many readers may have complained about this to Goodreads. I can't be bothered wasting my time trying to solve their "glitch" problems.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap Into Radical Curiosity, and Solve Any Problem (other topics)The Lincoln Highway (other topics)
Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap Into Radical Curiosity, and Solve Any Problem (other topics)
We Are All Stardust: Scientists Who Shaped Our World Talk about Their Work, Their Lives, and What They Still Want to Know (other topics)
Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Bill Nye (other topics)Bill Nye (other topics)
Stefan Klein (other topics)
Mary Roach (other topics)
Bill Nye (other topics)
More...
I've heard of The Summer Before the War BY Helen Simonson. Here's what I wrote in my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've shelved it as "keep in mind".
In fact, by coincidence (as I wrote in my review), The group Constant Reader will start reading _The Summer Before the War_ on Friday, June 15, 2018.
I will look into it. The Kindle edition costs $12.99. See the ad here: https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Before-...
The NPR review calls it "a gentle comedy of provincial manners". See the NPR review here: https://www.npr.org/2016/03/24/471343...
Thanks for reminding me about this book, Nina. I really should make an effort to borrow the book from our public library!